HG Cooks
How to Use a Mortar + Pestle
The World's Oldest Cooking Tool
The mortar and pestle is having a renaissance. One of the world's oldest cooking tools, it's an antidote to the never ending list of "must-have" high tech kitchen gadgets. The mortar and pestle taps into the primal joys of cooking. Use it to smash ginger, crush whole spices, mash garlic or whip up pastes, spice blends, sauces and dips. Watch your ingredients break down without lifting a lid or washing your blender or food processor. Here, a few tips on how to use this rustic kitchen staple along with four mouth-watering recipes to try, old school style.
Firstly, don’t slam your pestle and wind it around. Instead, rock and smash your ingredients by going around the mortar with your pestle to gather any ingredients that have climbed up the sides, then push them back into the middle and continue. When it comes to investing in one, the best — like ours from David Mellor — are made from coarse unpolished granite. This stone creates enough friction to easily and evenly break down any type of ingredient. It’s also nonporous, so it doesn’t retain flavour and is easy to clean by hand.
Caipirinha
Guacamole
Rosemary + Citrus Salt
Fresh Chimichurri
